On Monday, plans were announced for a new Nike manufacturing plant in Goodyear, Arizona, a suburb on the west side of Phoenix. But after word got out that Nike canceled the release of a patriotic design for Independence Day because of concerns from Colin Kaepernick, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has put those plans up in the air.
“Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours. I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here,” the governor said in a tweet thread early this morning. “Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike. We don’t need to suck up to companies that consciously denigrate our nation’s history.”
Ducey has made a habit of making national news lately. After posting a Bible verse on his public Facebook page for Easter, Secular Communities for Arizona demanded Ducey to take the post down, alleging that his public display of faith violated the separation of church and state.
Ducey was not having it, and in an almost Trump-like manner, Ducey took to Twitter to answer his critics.
“We won’t be removing this post. Ever. Nor will we be removing our posts for Christmas, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Palm Sunday, Passover or any other religious holiday. We support the First Amendment, and are happy to provide copies of the Constitution to anyone who hasn’t read it,” the governor jokingly said.
A month ago, Ducey boldly supported Trump’s tariff threats on Mexico, even though many congressional Republicans opposed the move, as did every other border state governor. But Ducey held firm on his position.
When asked about the Chamber of Commerce’s concerns with the tariff threat, Ducey gave a tongue-in-cheek reply once again, saying, “The U.S. Chamber [of Commerce] is going to prioritize commerce, that’s why they’re called the Chamber of Commerce…the Arizona governor is going to prioritize public safety. You can do both.”
Ducey won reelection in a landslide victory last November, and one can see why he enjoys a good deal of popularity in Arizona. In some ways, I think Ducey represents the better side of President Trump. He responds to current events on Twitter, which allows him to speak directly to the people. He has a sense of humor, which he frequently uses with the press. And like Trump, he doesn’t apologize to the leftist PC mob for stupid things that don’t merit an apology.
You may disagree with Ducey’s decision to repeal incentives for Nike to build a new plant in Arizona, and you may disagree with his support of Trump’s tariff threat on Mexico. If you’re really crazy, perhaps you also oppose him posting Bible verses on Facebook. But regardless, Ducey is clearly a man of conviction, and that’s a quality we should admire in our politicians.
